Deathwing's Return, Illidan's Resurrection, Lich King's Escape
by AtomicLord
Summary: Deathwing has returned from death! If the Earth Warden can conquer death itself, how can the 4 aspects stop him? What horrible fates await the 4? Sargeras proves himself omnipotent, as he raises Illidan from death. What can Malfurion and Tyrande do? The Lich King escapes from his frosty jail and for some strange reason is after Jaina! Set after Cataclysm. Lich is Bolvar. Review Pls
1. Chapter 1: Deathwing's Resurrection

Neltharion, or Deathwing, as he was now known as, hurt all over. Never in all his entire life as the Earth Warden had he experienced such pain before. Pain that coursed through him. This wasn't feeling. This was emotion; pain as an emotion, but also as an instinct. Terror, fear, despair… tidal waves of emotion threatened to overwhelm him. That would truly be the end of him should he succumb.

To be without form is truly perhaps the worst thing to have ever happened to Deathwing. How he longed to have his body back, even if his body was crumbling apart anyways. At least he would be able to kill something to take his mind of the pain. But in the infinite void, there is nothing to do to take the pain away.

The other Aspects would never have expected how far he had gone in order to bring his plan to fruition. Not that he had succeeded. But he had not really expected that a mere mortal could wield the power of the Dragon Soul. What was the name of the puny insolent creature which dared to challenge and mortally wound Neltharion? Thrall.

Yes, Thrall. He would make sure that the Orc would suffer for the crime. However, he needed a body first. Deathwing had realised a long time ago on the Elemental Plane that his body would not hold the awesome power he possessed. That was when he sought out the minds of the dead. He needed a means to continue living even if his own body crumbled.

He sought all the forms of magic in order to extend his life. Fel magic was too much of a pain, and by no means did Deathwing wish to have green foul flames occupying his body instead of the bright powerful flames that was already there. Warlocks he sought were no different, each promising their service, but each demanding something or other… Necromancy was too unreliable, too likely to go wrong, and the powers of the Kirin Tor were useless for anything more than trivial tricks.

Shamanism he could at least relate to, but there was no way to extend life through it. After all, both druidism and shamanism both deferred to the laws of Nature, and Nature seemed to crave death and aging above all other things. So, in the end, Deathwing had to resort to his own power. Capturing the essences of all four Elemental Lords, he created something rivalling the power of the Dragon Soul, and using all his might, buried it deep underground within the corpse of one of his spawn.

Now, as he concentrated on the tool he created, he could feel its power vibrating, and, using all his willpower, shaped it into a ring, one large enough to fit snuggly on a forearm of the corpse. Then, he pulled the ring out of the corpse and secured it to the right arm of the dead dragon of the Black Flight.

There was a tremendous explosion of energy and Deathwing felt his conscious fading, then returning. He opened his eyes and with mild surprise and satisfaction felt he could open them. What joy there was to see, even if all he saw was earth and rock! He flexed his claws and studied the ring on his finger. It was plain and simple but laced with glowing gems the colour of flames.

Deathwing then continued to study the rest of his body. It was massive, even bigger than Deathwing had been previously. That was precisely why he had murdered and chosen this body as his vessel. As he watched, the skeletal frame that was his body ignited with hell fire, and scales harder than steel slithered out of nowhere to wrap around his body.

Deathwing breathed and found that he had grown lungs, mighty and strong. He put one claw over his chest and found himself mesmerised by the sound of thunder rumbling from within. How beautiful his heartbeat was, as it pushed the lava that served as the Earth Warden's blood through his veins. His tail was strong and lithe, and he found unbelievable fast and agile too. Deathwing allowed a booming laugh to echo through the small cavern, and with a great roar, spread his new wings out and struck the cavern.

"I AM BACK!" he roared, amongst the falling stalactites, rocks and earth, "DEATHWING HAS RETURNED!"


	2. Chapter 2: Alextrasza's Peril

Alextrasza was concerned. Scared even. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it would fly out of her rib cage. Her face was muddy, her clothes ripped and torn. She had lost weight. She had experienced hunger for the first time, and thirst. Now she was feeling fear. Of course, she had experienced all these before, but not as a mortal. Now her once immortal life was now fragile, like a flower being buffeted by a heavy downpour of rain.

How long since she had lost her immortality? Weeks? Months? What she knew for certain was that it wasn't a day, and not long enough to be a year. Since her fellow Aspects and herself had become mortal, they had been affected. They were forced into humanoid forms, completely devoid of power. Malygos could barely cast the simplest spell, Norzdormu had not seen a single vision since and Ysera has lost her connection to Nature altogether. Alextrasza had discarded her Dragon Form and her title and power as The Dragonqueen.

All four of them had been exiled from their respective flights, and Alextrasza was already missing some of the comforts as a Queen. For one thing, she reflected dryly, during her time as The Life-Binder, no horrible creatures were stalking her. She had been running through the forest floor for days now, trying desperately to elude the gigantic creature which was following her. She had no idea where she was, and how she had got here. All she knew was that there was something so terribly wrong yet so terribly familiar about this ginormous creature chasing her.

She paused for breath in a small clearing of glowing trees with vivid violet leaves. She gasped and panted and sank to her knees in exhaustion. It, whatever was chasing her, had stopped moving. She knew that much, as the very earth rumbled whenever it twitched. She felt that there was something vaguely familiar about this, but she couldn't place her finger on what it was…

BOOM. _Here it comes,_ she thought to herself. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM! The last step sounded uncomfortably close. Alextrasza briefly considered the idea of climbing the tree but discarded it. She was pretty sure that the thing which was chasing her was bigger than the tree. Instead, she snapped a branch and brandished it in front of her.

Alextrasza held her breath and waited. Slowly, rippling out of the darkness, came a dark shape, bigger than what she remembered. "Deathwing," she spat with contempt, but also confusion. _What is he doing here? Is this a dream? Deathwing is dead,_ she thought to herself. As if reading her mind, the black and volcanic dragon rumbled, "Not as dead as everyone else thought."

The voice was unmistakably the one of the World Breaker. Upon hearing it, Alextrasza reeled backwards, as the mind-blowing truth of reality finally made it past the thick layers of exhaustion and starvation to reach her mind of jelly. Despite all this, Alextrasza still managed to maintain her grip on her branch, which seemed to surprise both herself and Deathwing.

"Still holding on? By the Old Gods, you're persistent. But, the Alextrasza I knew had more of a… what's the word? A burning streak," Deathwing laughed at her. This fragile mortal form was nothing compared to what Alextrasza one was, but upon hearing the taunt, Alextrasza felt her stomach clench and a searing hot fire ignited inside her belly. "Silence, you traitor!" she snarled at him, loathing how he could remain such a calm face while her own complexion was contorted in a fit of rage.

"Now now, Alextrasza, don't be unreasonable," Neltharion chuckled deeply. Alextrasza couldn't stand it anymore and threw herself at her former friend. She spun her branch and brought crashing on the massive armoured claw of Deathwing. Deathwing looked a bit annoyed, and as if swatting a mere insect away, slapped his tail against Alextrasza. The former Aspect of Life flew away and crashed on the forest floor.

Alextrasza attempted to rise and felt woozy all over. She tasted blood in her mouth and couldn't tell which direction the booming laugh came from. She felt the scaly armoured tail whip around her waist and drag her 3 metres of the ground. The pressure slowly increased, until Alextrasza found breathing to be almost impossible. "You know, I've wanted to do this to you for a long time," Deathwing chatted conversationally at her struggling form, "But just crushing you isn't enough. I'm going to break your will, your Flames of Life, and, when the last flickers of hope die out…"

"Then I'll kill you," the former Aspect of Earth finished. Alextrasza drew in a painful breath to reply, "You'll never break-" But was interrupted as Neltharion slammed her into the ground, causing her to lose consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3: Malygos's Regret

**Hey guys, thanks for all the views, sorry, but I need to take a little of your time to apologise to the perfectionists and the spelling freaks. No offence meant if you are one, but I'm really sleepy right now so I don't have much kindness to offer. Anyways, I realised that I spelt "Alexstrasza" wrong, instead spelling it "Alextrasza". I find my version of her name a bit easier to type, so I'm gonna stick with it. So yeah. I'll do what I can. Also, I'm going to slowly expand the lengths of my chapters, so let me know if you approve of it, or you want it to be around the same lengths as my first two chapters. – AtomicLord.**

 _The City of Dalaran truly is amazing,_ Malygos, the former Blue Dragon and leader of the Blue Dragonflight reflected. Malygos felt the arcane presence inhabiting every tile of Dalaran. _There's no other place I would rather to spend the rest of my days,_ the Lord of Magic mused. "Oops… uh, pardon me, Lord Malygos!" an apprentice mage apologised as they collided. "It's quite alright," Malygos accepted the pardon with a wave of his hand. "Lord Malygos may overlook this, but I will only let you off this time, Caleb."

Caleb and Malygos both spun around to come face to face with none other than the tired and frosty face of Lady Jaina Proudmoore. Caleb gulped and scurried off, in a hurry no doubt to a lesson of the arcane arts. "Excuse his impudence, my lord," Jaina said to Malygos. "Don't worry, these things happen," again Malygos waved off the apology. It was one of the reasons Malygos had been elected as the leader of the Blue Dragonflight; he seldom felt frustration or rage.

"My Lady, may I ask how your expedition went?" Malygos inquired. "Just a bunch of cold dead leads. Alextrasza has been missing for almost a month now…" Jaina trailed off as she heard a scream echoing from one of the corridors. "Lord Malygos, please stay here. I will deal with this." Malygos was about to protest but realised that he would only be in the way should he follow her. "Of course," Malygos replied smoothly.

Jaina quickly cast a teleportation spell and in a matter of seconds disappeared from sight. Malygos stood there, a bit foolishly, as he stared at where the Mage had been only seconds ago. He envied her, of course, now that his own power was gone. He stared at his hands, and for a second felt pleasure as he saw arcane runes appear, but they evaporated faster than they had emerged. He supposed that he should have been expecting that to happen.

"How pathetic of you," sneered a high-pitched voice which seemed familiar. Caleb was back from his lesson already. "Little frail Malygos, so weak and powerless now without his magic. And yet you still stay here in Dalaran, as if you're an Archmage who demands respect." Malygos felt his patience slipping from his grasp and struggled not to lash out at the disciple. _He's stronger than me now,_ the Lord of Magic realised with shame and caution. Instead, he said, "Think what you want about me, but you should know that there are others here who would not let you off so easily, Caleb."

"That's what I mean by pathetic. You actually believe I'm Caleb?" the voice took on disbelief and grew louder and deeper, like an earthquake. "Still don't recognise me? Maybe I'll show you, just my human form. I don't think you're quite ready for my true form just yet…" At that moment, Malygos felt as if he was struck by lightning. "You're… Deathwing!" Malygos exclaimed, "How are you alive? You were destroyed by the Dragonsoul! You can't be alive!"

"And just exactly why can't I be alive? You out of all the other Aspects should know better," as Deathwing spoke, his skin grew darker and his eyes turned red; armour spreading and enveloping his body. _This can't be… this is… IMPOSSIBLE,_ Malygos thought furiously. _How did he gain immortality?_ As if reading Malygos's mind, Deathwing explained: "It's not really immortality. It's more like my conscience being contained and inserted into this corpse. The outwards appearance reflects my former body, but this body is dead. So, to sum it up, I am kind of unkillable. Basically, you can destroy me, blow me up, shoot me down, behead me, or drown me, and I would simply regenerate and heal all those injuries instantly."

Malygos sagged to the floor as the sheer impact of Deathwing's words struck him. _Unkillable?!_ As Malygos had the thought, another thought hit him. "Alextrasza. Was that you?" he asked accusingly, praying to the Titans that he was wrong. "Correct." _Damn, where are you when I need you, Titans? Oh, that's right. You can't help because it would "disrupt the balance of the cosmos". Damn you Titans,_ Malygos thought bitterly. "Deathwing? How?!" Jaina had returned.

"You! You killed Caleb!" Jaina cried angrily. "Now now, he was a tiny mortal. One in thousands! One life does not deserve a reaction such as yours. Besides, he had no family. No one would miss him, he was a failure!" Deathwing replied calmly. All this did further to enrage Jaina and Malygos felt his feelings start to run rampant as well. He forced himself to steady his own breathing. _No point rushing in to suicide,_ Malygos reflected. Jaina on the other hand made no visible effort to stem her rapidly quickening intake of deep gulps.

"YOU…YOU MONSTER!" she screamed and blasted a bolt of frost at Deathwing. "Hey, that itches," the latter complained, to further aggravate the sorcerer. She blasted bolts of more frost and summoned a giant ice shard, almost bigger than the corridor the three were standing in. She releases it and shoots it forwards, pinning Deathwing against the corridor, prompting an "OOFT" out of the unlucky Earth Warden. "Hey, wow. Any more of this and I might actually need to kill you, you know that, right?"

Malygos stepped forward and placed several runes on the currently immobile Deathwing. "What's the point? You've lost your power, Malygos," Deathwing stated calmly. "That's true, but I anticipated something similar to this was going to happen, so before we left to destroy you, I inserted pieces of my power into these runes. In short, even without control over the power, I can still kill you with it." With that, Malygos chanted a command and bright blue strands of magic snaked out of the runes, binding Deathwing tightly.

"Is that all?" Deathwing asked mildly after a moment of strange still silence. "Not quite. Far from it actually…" Malygos smiled grimly. He recanted another two spells, the first to bind Deathwing's mortal form's mouth, the other to cause the arcane ropes to tighten and increase in temperature. Deathwing's posture, as his face was unreadable due to the helm, changed from amused and relaxed to agitated and concerned. He started to stretch his muscles, attempting to shatter his bonds, but Malygos chanted his final incantation.

The bonds glowed white and Malygos hurried to avert his eyes for fear of being blinded. Jaina threw her arms around her face and Deathwing let out a shout of agony. FLASH! Deathwing laid still in the centre of a huge circular scorch mark on the floor. "Please accept my apology about the floor, my lady," Malygos hastily mumbled. Jaina waved the apology aside and glanced at the prone body before inquiring: "Is he dead?"

A deep menacing chuckle caused both their heads to spin around. Deathwing was picking himself of the floor, brushing layers of dust of his scorched armour. "I told you, I'm unkillable. So why did you try so hard? Did you doubt my word? Or have you gone senile in your old age?" Deathwing taunted. Malygos took a step back. He was out of tricks. Jaina attempted to shoot another blast of ice at Deathwing but he dodged it, and in a flash, was lifting Jaina up by the throat. Jaina started to choke.

"Stop!" Malygos shouted, but Deathwing simply ignored him and started to increase his pressure. Jaina was now gasping for breath. Malygos had to do something, but that meant he had to… "Stop, Deathwing. Spare her life and you may do what you please with me," Malygos pleaded. Deathwing stopped and Jaina took a shuddering deep breath. Deathwing looked at Malygos and suddenly lunged forwards, grabbing Malygos with one hand, his other still locked onto Jaina's throat. Deathwing ran with his iron grasps unyielding on his two prisoners. He ran until he located a window and without any hesitation, crashed through.

They emerged through the flying glass and started free falling. Cries of fear were torn from Jaina and Malygos, but Deathwing laughed manically, and started to change. His armour grew even bigger, wings started protruding out of his shoulder blades and a tail out of his tail bone. His armour stretched and accepted the changes. The hands gripping Malygos and Jaina transformed into claws as big as cages, and with a gigantic WHOOMPH, Deathwing's wings caught an updrift and they stopped the plummet.

Jaina started sobbing with relief, her normally icy demeanour shattered by the terror of falling. Malygos on the other hand, felt only dread as he heard his promise to Deathwing echo through his head. The future seemed just as uncertain as Deathwing's ragged and unstable flying style.


	4. Chapter 4: Illidan's Resurrection

**Hey guys, I got a bit tired over the Deathwing arc, so I decided to switch to Illidan for a while. If you're wondering about it, I've decided to do 3 chapters for each villain, then switch. So, this is Illidan number 1. Thank you for so many viewers, but I kind of want a review other than myself… Don't ask! I have split personality issues. Wait. I just told you that… Meh. Ok. That's my secret. But wait… it's not anymore. Cuz you guys know about it now. Grr. Never mind me. Just keep reading and enjoying. Also, warning. THE STORY IS GOING TO START GETTING INTENSE SOON. Maybe not this chapter, or the one after this, but the plot is starting its downhill plunge! – AtomicLord.**

Illidan was in pain. Not physical pain, but emotional pain. _Being dead hurts more than living,_ Illidan realised with some feeling. Not that living would have been much better for the Betrayer. Every day, if you can measure the lengths of death, was more and more torture. Voices. All accusing him of crimes which he committed. It was all the more harder to endure when you didn't have a voice to respond with. Even if he could reply, there was no way he could deny the truth. After all, he was known as the Betrayer, not the Lier.

He wished it would end, every minute of his death. He wished that he had never died. He wished that something, anything, could pull him out of this eternal agony. He didn't know how long he waited. It was during a painful encounter with the voices of Malfurion his brother and Tyrande Whisperwind, when the dark and gloomy fog was penetrated by bright green flames. Fel flames. The power of Sargeras. That was when Illidan heard the voice, dark and terrible, full of terrible power, echo through his head. " _ **Choose, Illidan Stormrage! Choose! Death, eternal suffering, or live! Live and dedicate your life to me. Choose now, Illidan,**_ " the voice of Sargeras had roared. Illidan felt torn apart. If he chose to escape this torment, it would mean betraying all those who thought that he was dead.

In the end, he made his decision, based on a rather foolish desire to see Tyrande again. "Let me see. Let me see Tyrande one more time! And I will serve you forever more, Sargeras," Illidan put the conditions on the board, but the Dark Titan had one more condition. " _ **I will grant you the ultimate privilege, Night Elf. Become my servant. You shall become me! We shall become one.**_ " The voice of Sargeras crackled, like fire and ash, " _ **Illidan Stormrage, I will give you a piece of my power. You shall be my fist, and together we will be conquer Azeroth as one.**_ "

Illidan was taken aback. To be one with his master? What does that mean? "What exactly do you mean, my lord?" Illidan asked cautiously. "Y _ **ou can be the Night Elf you were before consuming the Skull of Guldan, or you may take the form of a Demon. You may change forms between the two as you please. My powers of Omnipotence and Omniscience, will be transferred to you,**_ " Sargeras explained. Illidan considered Sargeras's words. To be almighty didn't sound so bad, and if he was one with his lord, he would never betray him. He took a deep breath and accepted.

The loud sound of thunder combined with Sargeras's laughter pierced through the fog. The Fel flames grew even brighter and whipped around Illidan, entering the Betrayer's eyes, mouth and nose. Illidan felt feverish, but as the pain of the flames began to fade, Illidan realised with immense pleasure and satisfaction that he could see! What joy there was to be able to see after being blind for so long! He glanced around at his surroundings. The blue sky, with beautiful clouds. Birds chirping, and a lake. Illidan hurried over to the water's reflective surface and glanced at himself. His had eyes! Not those horrible ghastly orbs which had replaced them, but real eyes!

Of course, Illidan noticed, his eyes where completely green. Unnatural as they seemed, they were far better than his old orbs. That was when he noticed something. The forest he was in was not that far from Nordrassil, the great Tree of the Night Elves. He and Malfurion had often wandered through this forest when they were small. Those were days of peace which Illidan longed to feel once again, but he was interrupted by a voice in his head. Illidan recognised this voice. This voice belonged to him, the Demon that was him. It told him to stop this and get on with whatever Sargeras had sent him here to do.

Illidan felt annoyed. Then he was struck by a thought and shifted into his Demon form. He immediately felt scared as his world went dark, but then green lines formed into his vision. He could see the trees. He could see birds! But he couldn't see the rocks, or the water? Illidan finally concluded that he was seeing life. His new Demon eyes could see life, as well as magic. He shifted back into his Night Elven form and studied his body. The strong sinewy muscles, which he had hoped would gain him some of Tyrande's approval when he was younger. The Fel tattoos were still on him though.

 _Well, all in all, not that bad,_ Illidan reflected afterwards. Then, without any clue as to where to go, decided to head over to Nordrassil. _I might even get to see Tyrande!_ __Illidan told himself. So, picking himself up off the ground, headed towards the direction of Darnassus. Illidan was only half way there when he realised he was unarmed. Illidan realised that his War Glaives of Azzinoth were not sent with him to Azeroth. Illidan felt suddenly weak and vulnerable, but he tightened his resolve and concentrated his power into the shape of his War Glaives. BOOM! Illidan looked in his hands, and there, sure enough, were his War Glaives.

After a short while of struggling and cursing, Illidan secured the War Glaives to his back. He then carried on for another while, until the eerie silence made Illidan agitated. There was no singing, no sounds of trade, not even the chatter which echoed a long way from Darnassus. Illidan looked up at the sky and saw that he was reaching Night Elven territory. The sky was filled with stars now, and Illidan remembered the Lord of the Burning Legion's words. As he had the thought, power flooded Illidan. It seemed Sargeras's word was believable.

Illidan could see. He could see everything in which would happen in the near future! He could see the past. He could see that he would arrive at his destination and… Darnassus… Nordrassil was gone. The tree had been burned down. No. There was no way this could have happened. Illidan shapeshifted into Demon form and launched himself into the air, his wings beating harder than he was breathing. Within minutes, Illidan arrived on where Nordrassil once stood. Where his home once stood. Now. There was almost nothing. Illidan spotted a branch, big enough to hold him, protruding from the scorched stump. Illidan half landed, half fell. What happened here? How?

Illidan searched the surroundings with his all-seeing eyes. Sylvanas Windrunner. The leader of the Horde. She… she would die for this. Illidan now discovered the extent of the power he had received from Sargeras. He could alter the future. Not just any future, he could alter the most likely future. Fortunately for Sylvanas, she was not part of the most likely future, for now. But Illidan promised himself that she would be, and the end would be slow and painful. Illidan glanced around again, seeing the evacuations and the desperate and dying Night Elves. They were already long gone. Tyrande. Was she among the dead?

Illidan searched desperately with his eyes, until he located her, with her head on Malfurion's chest in a castle. Illidan felt his blood boil. She was sleeping, he saw. Malfurion was almost dead, Illidan realised. And he could die, if Illidan didn't save him. Suddenly, Illidan realised what it was that Sargeras wanted from him. It was something he never wanted to do to Tyrande and Malfurion again. But he had to. He had to gain their trust, and then betray them.

 **Well? Was it good? Just saying, Omnipotence means almighty, so I decided that Illidan should have the power to alter the most likely future, and Omniscience is knowledge, or awareness. So, I decided that Illidan could see the future and the past. Note: This power is now Illidan's. It will now forever be Illidan's. So yeah. You guys enjoy this. Next chapter would be Illidan, Tyrande and Malfurion. I didn't get a review yet, but… I'm taking that as a sign that my story is good enough for you guys! Stay positive… Love you guys! Not romantically, just a figure of speech. But I mean it. I honest to God appreciate all my readers. Especially to those who read to the finish. Cuz half of my readers don't read anything except the first chapter. So, thanks if you read up to his point. –AtomicLord.**


	5. Chapter 5: Tyrande's Choice

**Hey guys. I really need to update my WoW culture and lore. Please help me by giving me advice or corrections through the review button at the bottom of the page. Please help me out guys. I once again will thank you for the viewers. I just feel good realising the fact that other people would like to spend their time to appreciate (I hope) my work. Thanks for that! If you guys have any problems about how my Fanfiction is going off track or something, I will reply either through this bold text or message you if you tell me via review. Thanks guys. You guys are what gets me going in the morning. Also, so does the coffee. So now, at the end of my intro, please enjoy… Tyrande's Confusion, Chapter Deus of Illidan arc. – AtomicLord.**

Tyrande felt it again. The shiver up her lavender skin. It made her weary, as if someone was watching her. It made her feel uncertain. She had fallen asleep over Malfurion. That wouldn't do. She needed to be strong for her people. Her people. She felt her breathing quicken as the flashback struck her yet again. The screams. The ashes. The smell of sulphur. Screams for help, which Tyrande had not been able to answer. She felt as if she had betrayed her people. No matter how Shandris tried to drill "You did all that you could" into her brain, she still felt as if she had let down those who trusted her. Unconsciously, her hand went to rub her eyes and she felt moisture there.

"I know that feeling," rasped a voice. Tyrande whipped around. She was in a room, a former cell block which had been cleared out for the Night Elven refugees. Tyrande, Shandris, Malfurion and Ash'alah shared. Shandris and Ash'alah had left for dinner. Tyrande had volunteered to stay with Malfurion as the Archdruid was recovering. There was nobody there. But, there was shadow beyond that. "Who's there?" Tyrande unsuccessfully attempted to steady her voice. "I know that feeling," the voice repeated, "Others may tell you that you did all you could, but only you know the truth. That you let them down. That you disappointed them. That you failed." The voice from out of the darkness paused, as if to let the message sink in.

"It hurts, right? You wish that someone could give you a cure, to help your sickness. But they can't. You will forever feel this. This unbearable pain in your heart will linger there and will follow you. Even in death, you can't escape it," the voice continued. "N…n-no. Please… no," Tyrande murmured, unable to stop her lower lip from quivering a little. "Still have that habit of yours, eh? I loved that," the voice seemed eager suddenly. "Who are you?" Tyrande asked. The voice replied in a voice laced with sadness and desperation, "You don't remember?"

At that moment, Tyrande felt all the pieces of the puzzle come together. "Illi? Is that you? Is that really you?" she asked quietly, keeping all traces of emotion out of her voice. The voice didn't make a reply. Instead, it walked out of the shadows. Tyrande felt confused. This was Illidan, but at the same time, it wasn't! Illidan was now a Demon and he was dead. "Confused about my form, Tyrande? I know I would be in your place. After all, I'm now a Demon and I'm supposed to be dead," Illidan said conversationally.

"Well, I'm not going to go into detail about it all, but it seems death is impossible for a Demon. I found myself in the Nether Void after Maiev stabbed me. So, I spent all my time there gathering my power and trying to return to my original form," Illidan felt his heart wavering as he told the lie, but his outwards appearance was indifferent. "So, what are you doing here?" Tyrande challenged. Illidan smiled disarmingly and looked a bit disappointed when Tyrande backed away from him cautiously.

"I'm here to save my brother," Illidan finally confessed. Tyrande felt like someone dropped an entire tree on top of her. "What?" she finally blurted out. "I told you, I'm here to save my brother," Illidan repeated with a hint of annoyance. "That's what I said, and that's what I'm going to do." With that, Illidan stepped towards the bed Malfurion laid on. "Stop!" Tyrande's cry forced Illidan's body to short-circuit. "Don't come any closer. Please," Tyrande told him. Illidan was about to protest when all of a sudden, they were surrounded.

There was Shandris Feathermoon, raising an arrow at Illidan's head, the Worgen Genn Greymane, and even the King of Stormwind himself, King Anduin Wrynn. "Illidan? Don't move," Shandris warned. "This is the infamous Betrayer?" growled Greymane. "Genn! Be more mindful of your language," Anduin ordered, seeing Illidan wince visibly at the Worgen King's statement. "It's alright, I'm getting used to that reaction," Illidan muttered despite his obvious hurt.

"More to the point, what are you doing here?" Shandris's voice was frosty and on edge. "Put the bow away and I'll tell you," Illidan replied with the same tone. Reluctantly, Shandris sheathed her arrow and slung her bow over her slender frame. "I told Tyrande before, I'm here to save Malfurion," Illidan began. "How do we even know that you can do what our healers can't?" accused the Gilnean King. "You don't. But you just have to believe what I say," Illidan answered calmly. He could see Shandris and Genn Greymane weren't going to believe anything he was going to say anytime soon, but Tyrande and Anduin seemed to be accepting his words so far.

"I can save him, but as I'm sure all of you know, Fel magic demands a price," Illidan chose his words carefully. "A price too high," Anduin sighed deeply. "Oh, yes. You're the one whose father died at the hands of the Fel carrier?" Illidan felt sorry for the mortal. Dying through the Fel was a painful end, and although Illidan couldn't care less about the King's father, he knew the feeling the king was experiencing, the feeling of being left alone. It was a crushing feeling… _No, we are not going there,_ Illidan told himself harshly. "I can heal Malfurion, but as I'm sure you are all aware of too well, I need the life force of another's to compensate for him."

Tyrande felt Illidan's words rattle her. _Another's lifeforce? Will mine be enough?_ She realised peevishly that while she was musing that Illidan had continued explaining. "I… I think I have perfected the extraction technique… I won't kill the substitute… probably." Genn snorted loudly. "Probably. We'd be better to kill you, then at least Malfurion can go safely knowing that his tyrant of a brother was rotting in hell! How're you even alive in the first place?!" Genn sneered vehemently. "I was in hell, as a matter of fact," Illidan replied frostily, and the moment he said that, he morphed into his Demon form, filling up the room. "And as for how I'm alive, let's say that there are… others… out there who can resurrect the dead and snack on stinking mutts!" At this, Genn drew breath to argue, and Anduin started to reply as Shandris shrieked at the Betrayer.

"STOP IT!" a clear powerful voice cut through the squabble. Everyone in the room turned towards Tyrande. She took a deep breath, exhaled, then started to speak. "We have all been through a lot. We've survived Deathwing, the Lich King, the Burning Legion. The Worgens survived the destruction of Gilneas." At this, Genn seemed to shrink, and seemed as old as he really was. "The Human's survived the destruction of Stormwind, but they rebuilt it." Anduin clenched the hilt of his late father's sword, Shalamayne. "The Night Elves, we… we survived the burning of Nordrassil." Tears we're now running down Tyrande's cheeks, and Shandris trembled, and her knees gave way under her. "So, we are here now. My point is this… we have survived until now. And we will continue to do so." Illidan morphed back into his Night Elven form as she said, "So, I will give my life for Malfurion's."

 **Well? Review please, because I'm lonely with just myself as my supporter. Also, guys, today was a heck of a day for me, so yeah. If you guys want a good game to play and you're into Pokémon, then check out this link:** **/** **. It's a brilliant game. Yeah. I love it. Totally wasn't spending time on it when I should've been writing this… ahem. Yeah. Keep it cool guys. Or saucy. Or whatever you use. – AtomicLord.**


	6. Chapter 6: Malfurion's Sadness

**AtomicLord: Hey guys… what is UP?! Today, I'm here with my friends today… (looks suspiciously at the strangers) wait... what are you two doing in my house?!**

 **MudgyPlayz123: Hey bro.**

 **AtomicLord: Don't hey bro me! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!**

 **MudgyPlayz123: We're your friends.**

 **AtomicLord: Oh sure… wait, but… who's we?**

 **CorruptedSoul: That's me and him.**

 **AtomicLord: Ok… oh I get it now! You're just Mudgy and Corrupted! By the way, Corrupted, you need to work on your nickname… it's still a pain in the ass to type and say your shortened version.**

 **Corrupted: Better than Atolo.**

 **Atolo: Hey! I was stuck! Atomic doesn't sound good by itself when you're playing RPGs and Lord by itself is a bit weird.**

 **Mudgy: Pffft. But you didn't have to fuse Atomic and Lord together.**

 **Atolo: Yes, I did have to.**

 **Corrupted and Mudgy: Yeah sure…**

 **Atolo: Yeah, anyway guys, while I'm busy** **killing** **socializing with my friends here, why don't you just sit back, take out your reading glasses and a drink, and enjoy another round of-**

 **Corrupted: You forgot the disclaimer!**

 **Mudgy: We don't own WoW.**

 **Atolo: Shut the fuck up. And, so, now let's go into my own private message!**

 **Hey guys, I must again, yes again, take the time to apologise for my lack of a continued posting schedule. So yes, I do apologise. Again. Sigh… but, this time I have an excuse. Yes, another excuse. So, the excuse is: I was away for five days, got back and was so tired I went blind from trying to open my computer, and yeah. So… please accept my apology. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this part of the Illidan Part 1 arc. As always guys, stay safe, and enjoy! – AtomicLord.**

 **Mudgy: Wow, Atolo, I must admit, I didn't expect this kind of intro.**

 **Atolo: Oh yeah? What type did you expect then?**

 **Corrupted: He expected "Hi! Dank you very mooch. Fooooooooor reeeeeeeeding deeeeeees!"**

 **Atolo: That was once! ONCE! ONCE YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?!**

The druid Malfurion woke from his deep slumber. Or, at least, he thought he was. After all, it was hard for oneself to tell when one was about to wake up if he was still sleeping. But, yes, the foggy peacefulness of dreamtime was retreating rapidly. As the shadows danced away, the memories rushed in to fill the void. The fall of Darnassus. The world tree burning. All the forests destroyed. The consequences of a war. Saddened, he pushed these thoughts aside and focused on what he cared about. He found himself on a meadow, a familiar meadow. This was the place he was always in when he was hurt inside.

This meadow was big, spanning the land in every direction. The grass beneath his bare feet sparkled under the full moon. The flowers glowed in fantastic colours in every direction. The thought that one day, the day he should leave the world, the day he dies, and the fact that he would come here, to be one with nature, forever, comforted him. _But not today,_ he told himself. He was still needed by someone, and he had made a promise never to leave her again. It was this promise that forced himself to open his eyes. Only to see a face he never thought he ever see again.

The mouth, a tiniest bit lopsided, giving the owner a natural quirky grin. A crooked nose, which seemed to impose dignity and might. But the eyes, the eyes were… well, unexpected. This was saying something, coming from an Archdruid who spent most of his life living by the unexpected. The eyes still held the glowing green flames as did those orbs. But there was actual emotion in these eyes. These eyes had irises, glowing even brighter. These eyes were just the same as a millennia ago, just before the first war, but with the unmistakable hue of the Fel. This was the face that Malfurion wished never to see again, as every time he did he felt a part of his heart crumble away. This was the face of Illidan Stormrage.

There was a blur of motion as Malfurion expanded, hair erupting across his body, a flash of light completed the transformation and a moment later a full grown adult grizzly hurtled across towards Illidan. Illidan was just as fast. His skin expanded, and his body bulged, his feet transforming into hooves, his head sprouting horns. Another flash of light, this time green, told that Illidan too, had finished turning into a Demon. The two colossal forms collided in the centre of the prison cell, rolling into a surprised Anduin.

Several other things happened immediately. Genn sprang forwards and shoved the two quarrelling beasts off the king and helped Anduin to his feet. Shandris hefted her bow but chose not to shoot. Tyrande shouted at the two monstrosities, urging them to stop. The two of them chose not to head her words and continued wrestling. Malfurion found a firmer purchase and slammed Illidan into the floor, leaping atop him to prevent him from moving. Illidan, however, used his two muscled bound arms to wrap it around the bear's neck.

"Glad to see you awake, brother," rumbled the demonic form that was Illidan. The bear snorted loudly and grunted, increasing its pressure on Illidan's chest until there was an audible CRACK. "OOFT! Ugh… argh… I… suppose i… deserved… that," Illidan moaned in pain. "But… for Elune's sake… you have to break… my ribs." The bear growled and promptly sat down on top of Illidan's cracked rib cage. "Aarrrghhh! YOU PIECE OF NO GOOD-" Illidan was cut off as all the air was driven out of his lungs.

Malfurion felt partially disgusted with himself, but at the same time, he felt a savage triumphant feeling. He knew that he shouldn't be treating his brother like this, but… _this isn't your brother!_ He told himself. _Your brother is dead. DEAD. GOOD AS GONE. But… what about when I woke up? That was probably just a figment of your imagination, Malfurion._ Malfurion, after several seconds of debating, finally decided on his next course of action. All the occupants of the room felt their breaths leave them as the druid threw up a forepaw and brought it crashing down on Illidan's head.

 **Mudgy: I don't know what to say, except that I'm good at this.**

 **Atolo: I was the one who wrote that, idiot.**

"I still don't know what you were thinking, Malfurion! He's your brother, for Elune's sake!" Tyrande told him, exasperated. "I have no brother," the druid rumbled. "You almost killed him!" His wife was shrieking now, and that wasn't a good sign. He knew that if the situation ran out of control, worrying about Illidan would be the last of his problems. "Look, I had just woken up, I was a bit grouchy, I saw his face, and I… I just- "You could've killed him," Tyrande had gotten her emotions under control again. "I understand that you can't stand him, and you have a lot of reasons for it, but… deep down, he is still the Illidan Stormrage we knew."

 **On that short note, I will be cutting this one a bit short. I was planning originally to keep going on for another section, including some heated tensions with Illidan, then perhaps Tyrande could cheat on her husband…? Wow, hmm, this needs some serious work. So yeah guys, as you could probably tell, things are going to go from being kid-friendly to a bit more, um, well, you know, adult themed. So, kids, stay safe, and, even though it breaks my heart to do so, please stay away. It's for your own good. But everyone else, stay for more WoW. Also, to let you guys know, if you're a fan of Fairy Tail, then please check out my next fanfic. It will be posted shortly after this one (actually, I have no idea what shortly means). So yeah! It will be done between the three of us (CorruptedSoul, MudgyPlayz123 and AtomicLord), and will be posted only on my fanfic account because they "lost" theirs. – AtomicLord.**


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